A \ Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant SS2J Fact Sheet * Lena wee County, Ml REC(M(H.GBV EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states. communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Community Description Lenawee County was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Lenawee County (population 102,191) is a rural county in southern Michigan encompassing 22 townships, 8 villages, and 4 cities. Manufacturing moved into this primarily agricultural area in the 1900s and grew with Michigan's automotive industry. The majority of manufacturers are located in municipalities on the Raisin River and Bean Creek. As the automotive industry declined, so did Lenawee County's manufacturing base. Today, there are 120 known brownfields in the county, with an additional 250 potential brownfields. The number of county residents who travel to work outside the county is high and likely to increase. Brownfield assessments will enable the county to evaluate environmental conditions at sites and are expected to help stimulate redevelopment that is consistent with the county's comprehensive land-use plan. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances (Recovery Act Funding) EPA has selected Lenawee County for a brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, and conduct 16 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used for cleanup planning and community outreach activities. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: Lenawee County,MI (517)265-5141 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-09-132 May 09 ------- |